No bull here, he’s a good one
It seemed like a good plan to Dave Oakes.
Let his young sons take a few lumps riding bulls and they’ll turn to bareback riding.
At least that’s what the New Zealand cowboy hoped.
Nice try.
These days Zack Oakes, 21, is fourth in the Professional Rodeo Cowboys Association bull riding standings and is the top-ranked cowboy coming to the Cheney rodeo, which kicks off tonight at 8.
The three-performance PRCA rodeo continues Saturday at 8 p.m. and Sunday at 2 p.m.
Oakes, who now calls Mead home, is up tonight. His brother-in-law and Team Army teammate Andy Bolich rides his bareback on Saturday.
“My dad really wanted me to ride barebacks,” Zack Oakes said in a telephone interview as he raced between rodeos last weekend. “He didn’t want me riding bulls. He made it clear he didn’t like it. But my brother and I always rode bulls. He thought we’d get our head stuffed in the dirt, stop riding bulls and ride barebacks. It turned out the other way, the barebacks stuffed our heads in the dirt.”
Oakes’ dad left New Zealand at 20 for the more lucrative rodeos in the States. Zack and Joe were born in California. They were living in Redmond, Ore., when Zack made it to the Newport rodeo. He saw a barrel racer there named Ann Bolich and it’s easy to figure out what transpired.
“I don’t know if you would ask her (if it was love at first sight) but it was for me,” Oakes said, laughing.
The marriage was three years ago and the newlyweds moved to Mead to be close to family. Now there is a young daughter named Kacie.
Oakes wasn’t lured by the bright lights and loud music of the Professional Bull Riders, instead choosing to chase his original dream of winning the PRCA world championship.
“I’ve been to a few PBR’s,” he said. “The first one, when I was 18, I won third or fourth. After that I started going PRCA, I remembered what my goals were. It was always pretty clear to me.”
That would be watching the National Finals Rodeo on television and vowing to be there someday.
“It’s something I’ve been working for since I was young,” said Oakes. “I don’t want to venture off that until I meet my goals. It’s really hard to be successful at both, a few do it. For me a big aspect of it is it’s too much of a hassle to keep track of both. To be successful, the key for me is to focus on the PRCA.”
And he’s been doing quite well.
He was spinning his wheels with about $3,000 in his first 10 rodeos when he rode all four bulls and won RodeoHouston in March, picking up more than $15,000.
“(That) is the one that got the ball rolling,” Oakes said. “I drew four good bulls and was able to stay on. It was a lucky deal.”
That put him in 11th place and he’s kept winning since. He has earned $61,948 and is sitting fourth.
“This is the best year I’ve ever had financially,” said Oakes, who won just over $30,000 last year. “There are some years I rode on a more consistent basis. This year is funny, I haven’t rode a lot but when there is a lot of money to be won I rode good. I’ll take that.”
Behind the chutes
Big Bend Rodeo Co., of Ritzville, provides the stock for the rodeo. … Event champions return in everything except barrel racing. … Bull rider J.C. Bean of Goldendale was the biggest winner last year, pocketing almost $1,500 for his 79-point ride. … Also entered is Cheney native and reigning collegiate bareback champion Ryan Gray. … Only Oakes and Bolich have entered from Team Army. The other Team Army members are No. 4 tie-down calf roper Fred Whitfield, top 12 team ropers Travor Brazle, who leads the all-around standings, and Wayne Folmer; steer wrestling leader Luke Branquinho; No. 4 saddle bronc rider Cody DeMoss; and No. 17 barrel racer Brittany Pozzi.